PressTV-Russia, Iran, Turkey agree on Idlib zone borders

Russia, Iran, and Turkey, which together act as guarantor states in peace talks for Syria, have agreed on the details of a “de-escalation zone” in the Arab country’s western Idlib Province during resolution talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

Turkey’s Anadolu news agency reported the development on Friday, saying delegates from the three countries were still discussing what forces to deploy in Idlib.

The original agreement on the creation of the four zones, which came about in May, has been one of the substantive results of the talks, many rounds of which have taken place since January.

So far, agreements had been reached on the demarcation of three of the zones in Idlib’s neighboring provinces of Latakia, Aleppo, and Hama.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since 2011.

In Idlib, militants from the al-Nusra Front group are fighting the Syrian government.

The militants suffered their biggest blow since the onset of the militancy last year, when Syria recaptured Aleppo’s provincial capital.

The mediating states then joined efforts late last year to bring about a ceasefire over the city, which was then extended to the entire Syria.